About

The Cascara Fermentation Process:

The ever-innovative Aida Batlle of Finca Kilimanjaro continues to push boundaries and lead the specialty coffee world with her experiments in coffee processing. For this nanolot, Aida’s team brews a batch of cascara tisane (a tea-like brew made from dried coffee cherry skins), strains it, and allows it to cool. Once the coffee is depulped, it is placed in a fermentation tank with the cascara to ferment for 12 hours. The coffee is then dried on raised beds.

The Story

High on the slopes of the Santa Ana Volcano lies the world famous Finca Kilimanjaro. Owned and managed by fifth-generation coffee farmer and specialty coffee ambassador Aida Battle, Finca Kilimanjaro is one of the most consistent and innovative farms in the industry.

This long-standing farm has earned a lauded reputation under Aida’s guidance over the last several years. Back in 1935, trees were brought to the farm from Kenya to share land with the traditional Bourbon trees. The coffee variety from Kenya features big, bright fruity notes that distinguish many African coffees, complimenting the balanced and deeply sweet notes of the Bourbon variety. Some of those original trees still stand on the farm, creating seedlings with a consistent flavor profile that defines her farm’s coffee - a little bit of Africa, a little bit of El Salvador.

Aida rose to prominence when she won the 2003 El Salvador Cup of Excellence and has since been featured in Time Magazine, Forbes, and The New Yorker. She consistently impresses us with her commitment to sustainable practices, quality, and innovation.

*****

This is a very limited nanolot! It will roast on Tuesday, June 13th.This roast of Kilimanjaro Cascara Fermentation earned a 95 score from Coffee Review!

This lightly roasted coffee has a complex aroma of apricot, toffee, and roasted nut. When brewed it tastes of bergamot with a nougat sweetness. The body is light and fresh like honeydew with an elegant, clementine acidity. The finish is incredibly sweet, reminding us of s’mores.